Oberlin Names Cecilia Conrad 2026 Commencement Speaker

Cecilia A. Conrad, PhD, a philanthropy leader who has helped reimagine how transformative ideas are funded and founding CEO of Lever for Change, a nonprofit that connects donors with impactful, under-recognized organizations, will deliver the keynote address for Oberlin’s commencement ceremony honoring the Class of 2026 on Monday, May 25, in Tappan Square. She will also receive an honorary doctor of humanities degree, alongside five other honorary degree and award recipients.

Conrad is the former managing director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she led the MacArthur Fellows Program—popularly known as the “Genius Grant”—contributing to one of the nation’s most prestigious recognitions of creative achievement. 

Genius Grant recipients can’t apply but must be nominated. One of Conrad’s most important jobs was selecting those choosing the annual crop of grantees—individuals whose work shows exceptional creativity and promise for important future advances. Through her leadership of the fellowship program, she played a central role in identifying and elevating some of the most creative minds of our time. 

Her dedication to recognizing pioneering intellects aligns perfectly with Oberlin's institutional mission. Oberlin has long nurtured the kind of original thought the MacArthur Foundation celebrates: 15 of its alumni have earned MacArthur Fellowships—more than any other liberal arts college in the nation, including three since 2022: writer and educator Kiese Laymon ’98, composer and pianist Courtney Bryan ’04, and historian Jennifer L. Morgan ’86.

Conrad has created a global legacy in philanthropy, helping direct transformative funding where it matters most. Under her leadership, Lever for Change has influenced over $2.5 billion in grants and provided support to more than 500 organizations worldwide.

A key example of her reputation and reach was detailed in a profile of Conrad in Time magazine’s first-ever list of the 100 most influential people in philanthropy in 2025: Yield Giving founder MacKenzie Scott sought Conrad out when she wanted to give $250 million to 250 charities serving low-income households and people facing discrimination. Conrad’s Lever for Change identified so many deserving groups that Scott doubled her initial pledge, ultimately awarding $640 million in grants to 361 organizations. Lever is also vetting hundreds more charities to help Melinda French Gates allocate $250 million toward improving women’s health.

Conrad founded Lever for Change in 2019 to dismantle barriers in philanthropy, noting, “There are donors who want to fund creative, effective organizations and creative, effective organizations who need funding but they have trouble finding each other.” This model, which uses open-call competitions to reverse the typical invitation-only system, gives, as Time noted, “little-known nonprofits a shot at significant funding.” Adds Conrad, “We exist to help donors discover new ideas, new potential."

Oberlin College Board of Trustees member Lillie Edwards ’75, who nominated Conrad, praised her lasting achievements. “Her leadership in big philanthropy has powerfully demonstrated that one person can indeed change the world,” Edwards wrote. “Her success exemplifies the extraordinary ways intellectual creativity and agility, combined with social consciousness, can transform the lives of individuals and communities."

A Stanford-trained economics professor, Conrad also co-led the team that created MacArthur’s 100&Change competition, which periodically awards a single $100 million grant to help solve a critical problem. The competition, which began in 2017, has funded initiatives including early childhood education for refugee children displaced by conflict, securing legal access to reproductive healthcare for women in marginalized communities in the U.S. South, and deploying data-driven methods to end homelessness in American cities.

Prior to her work in philanthropy, Conrad had a distinguished academic career at Pomona College, where she held the Stedman Sumner Chair in Economics and is now Professor of Economics, Emerita. Conrad is widely respected in her field, having been named to the inaugural Time100 Philanthropy list in 2025, joining Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and Dolly Parton; the Forbes 50 over 50 Impact List in 2024; and one of Inside Philanthropy’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Philanthropy in 2023. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and a PhD in economics from Stanford University.

The commencement address will be live streamed as part of commencement weekend festivities.